New Year, New You?

So...another year is just about over and you are thinking to yourself...What have I accomplished this year?

I know - I am in the same boat, and I feel like growth IS a process. You don't change your rudder 90 degrees all at once, you change it slowly, incrementally...especially if you are hoping to reach your destination and not take lots of side trips or go in circles.

An entrepreneur is an interesting creature - "creativity" over "herd mentality" (as my friend Christine Alexander would say :) ) is paramount to success in the life of a true entrepreneur. If you are doing what everyone else is doing - you are part of the "herd". But with focus and time away from distractions/naysayers/worry about paying the bills - that's the best way an entrepreneur can find that spark of creativity.

Do you want to be "different"? Accomplish something in life that is meaningful? That is my driving force and I believe many of you out there have that dream as well. But dreams are only as good as the feet they stand on. So give yourself time to dream, to envision a better world for you and for others, then point your focus in that direction. YOUR direction. Give yourself "permission" to do things that others might not understand ("what? you don't work 9-5? how do you make money?"). Think about your future and what you want it to be like. If you WANT to be your own boss, find a way to do that - either by creating your own income through talents you possess (I started a tutoring company this year and I am finally finding some stability in ongoing client relationships - www.carytutor.com). Or you can decide to look into one of the many direct sales/network marketing companies out there, which have minimal startup costs but require you to really find out what you are "made" of - how can you translate your love of the product or service to others in a unique and different way?? By being YOU - there is only ONE you! :)

I am passionate about green products, so over the years I have joined a few different companies. Now I am with Arbonne International, and I LOVE the women (and men) that work with this wonderful company. I am so excited to be able to share quality, life-changing products with women (and men) that work, and the opportunity to make a great living is here too!

Can you see yourself doing this? Not 9-5, but on YOUR schedule. Around the kid's soccer practice, or husband's work hours, or getting together with girlfriends to have a fun spa party. I don't know about you, but I work harder when I am working for myself :)

So find a way that you can promote YOU to the community. Be the leader, not the follower. Find something you are passionate about and find a way to make money doing it! That way you will have an AMAZING 2011 and you will feel like your life is heading in the right direction - maybe not all easy waters, but certainly worth the ride! :)

Visit me at www.bestlifepossible.com for my new take on life and business - hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading my blog :)

10 Secrets of a Master Networker...

Have you ever wondered why SOME people make it really big in network circles or become famous for speaking or connecting with people, like Tony Robbins or Mike Dillard? You may not know Keith Ferrazzi, but he knows everyone from Bill Clinton to the president of Walt Disney, and he is as down to earth and personable as they come...find out what his "biggest fear" was when he was written about in Inc Magazine. He is one of most powerful speakers and connectors because he is "real" and really cares about others....do you want to unleash the power within you and be able to turn something that seemed really bad and turned out to be really one of the best things that could have happened to you?

He speaks about it in his video here, and you can read more about that article here, and the 10 Secrets of a Master Networker...

http://bestlifepossible.com/what-is-networking-really/


I hope this impacts you as it did me, and gives you a clearer picture of what networking really is....reaching out to others, not for what they can give you, but in a larger scope, being part of a community of entrepreneurs all trying to make this world a better place to live and thrive.

Together We Can Change The World

I have to share something I saw today that touched my heart - I really enjoy collaborative efforts like this, especially when it involves children and young adults, and a wonderful young singer who leads them all...you'll see what I mean here -

Go to the 2nd video here - http://harmonicutopia.ning.com/group/childrenofourworld - This is where I found this video - thanks Erica for sharing this with me - I am glad to share her Ning site with you, as children and their rights and optimistic view on life have always been near and dear to my heart.

This song is catchy and I love its optimistic view on life - the question isn't "what can this song accomplish" but "what can I DO to change the world today, in my own small way?" If this is your mindset, you can do anything you set your mind to!!  What ARE you doing today to change the world? :)

How do I really make money online?

Summer is just about over, and the kids are going back to school. Our summer vacations are fond memories and now we have to start thinking about how to make money this fall ~ online and offline. If you are a stay at home mom, or just got downsized, or just want some extra income to go along with a job that is not paying you quite enough ~ you may have seen companies advertising online asking you to join them, if you have looked around at all.

The first thing is to use your common sense - there are "many" ways people offer to help you make money online, but only a few that are legitimate - and all of them are going to take a little bit of work, just like a "real" job. No one, no matter what they claim, makes $1000's for typing in Google ads or some nonsense like that.

Find a legitimate company that offers an affiliate program (try Clickbank.com first) or something that you know about that you already believe in and see if you can become an affiliate. Then your job is to promote that product, and you will be paid commissions every time someone buys from your link.

Join a direct sales/network marketing company to make money promoting and selling information or wellness products, or many other kinds. Again, you must promote to others to have them look at what you offer, and if people know, like and trust you and you have a good product or service, then you will get some customers/business partners from that. You can also do this locally in your community - it doesn't have to be all online.

For example, I just joined a company that allows people to earn free groceries - something everyone needs and would love to have more money to pay for! It is actually a lot easier to do than a lot of the other companies I have been in, so I am very pleased to represent them and REALLY help people that need to earn money.

Go to www.bestlifepossible.com to see more at my "Feed Your Family" blog.

One other way is to do something that you have expertise or skill in. Are you good at writing articles? Proofreading? Making simple websites? You can do all of these things online and people could pay you to do these things for them - I have and it is rewarding to help others in this way. I also love the French language and tutoring, so I created my new website, www.carytutor.com to showcase what I can do online or locally.

I hope this helps you - visit me at my other links for more info about me and what I do - follow me to get notification each time I post a blog. Thanks!

Can you imagine?

What a summer it is turning out to be! :) I don't know about you, but I am busy with wonderful things and relationship building and just ... life! :)

I just returned from a missions trip with my church group from Ambassador Presbyterian, in Apex, NC. It was a wonderful opportunity to see another corner of the world, that doesn't have all the modern conveniences we have in the U.S. We used cut bamboo stalks for the sign and painted them - talk about rustic! :) I appreciate running, drinkable water a lot more now after spending a week brushing my teeth with bottled water, and I appreciate concrete floors over mud floors any day! I KNOW that most Mexicans would love to have anything we would normally throw in a landfill because most of what they have looks like it has been used for decades and is long overdue for replacement - yet they are happy to have it. They make due with whatever they have, and their emphasis is not on STUFF but on RELATIONSHIPS. What a breath of fresh air! They appreciated every little thing we did for them, and we were happy to contribute to the kid's campground we were working at, and going to the 2 Mexican churches that were full of truly thankful people that we met there in Rio Verde.

Is that our attitude? Are you happy with stuff that you got 5-10 years ago? Or are you craving the latest greatest gadget? The landfills are full of tons of 'stuff' that we throw away without a second thought, and yet people all over the world, and in poorer areas in America, would love to use whatever you have deemed to be 'ready for the trash heap'. I try to keep, reuse, repurpose anything I can, and appreciate what I have, over getting new stuff, partly out of necessity, and partly from a sense of responsibility to do my part in this consumeristic economy. I secretly enjoy going on Craigslist, or to Listia.com, or to Goodwill, just to see if I can use something that someone else has decided they no longer need - I love bargains! And I love saving money, and knowing I can help give something a "second life" by using it again.

What do you value? Things or relationships? Think about it and decide to do an inventory - a spring cleaning - of your house. And then give some others an opportunity to use your 'old' stuff and know you are helping them in ways you don't even realize :)

How Big are your Feet?

Do you know how big your feet are? Here's a better question - do you know what your "carbon footprint" is? Even if you don't, let me give you an easy way to figure it out - if you drive everywhere, fly everywhere, or travel a lot, then you are contributing more than your share of CO2 to the air and could probably stand to look at alternative ways of transportation, when possible.

Most of us simply are not aware of what we are doing that could easily be rerouted to a "greener" alternative. The first step is to calculate your "carbon footprint".

Online tools such as GlobalForce's various carbon calculators will help you determine these, and give you ways to "offset" your necessary carbon emissions through other actions, like riding a bike if the errand is 2-3 miles instead of using a car, walking to a friend's house in your neighborhood, buying eco-friendly products that don't hurt your family or the environment, or planting a garden or a tree.

http://globalforcenetwork.com/neutral

I have found some cool things out about trees recently. I always knew they were great to have around - that is why I love living in NC with its beautiful trees and rolling hills - I love walking in my neighborhood and looking at the variety of trees we have here.

But did you know that a little change in our daily habits could make a big difference to these trees? Deforestation is happening at an alarming rate, driven by our consumerism and ignorance of the cost of virgin tree fiber vs. recycled products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc).

In my newsletter this week, I give these mind-boggling statistics, found by Seventh Generation -

if every household in the U.S. replaced just ONE 4 pack of 400-sheet virgin fiber toilet paper with a 100% recycled package - we could save:
 

--1,450,000 trees

--3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space

--5.23 million gallons of water (a year's supply for 4,100 families of 4!)

--and avoid 89,000 lbs of pollution!

So that's your tip for the week! Buy some recycled paper products today and do your part for the planet! :) 

Make sure you check out our green community at www.facebook.com/globalforce and get some more green tips from our members throughout the week - have a great green week!

Kids Can Save the Earth!

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I love kids and working with kids. I worked at a kid's summer camp last summer, and if you go to my blog posts here from last summer, you'll see how cool that was. Now I tutor young kids and some older kids, and here online, I educate people how to involve their kids in "going green". 

Often, though, I see kids as being the catalyst for parents "doing their part", as kids learn in school - through programs like Kids For Saving Earth (http://www.ksegreenshop.org/) - see here how they are helping school curriculums, church youth groups and kids clubs to go green in unique and fun ways - and Journeys to the Past (http://journeystothepast.com) - by Jacque Nunez and her husband, American Indians living in CA who help school age children connect to the earth and its history, preserving her heritage through storytelling and interactive programs that are interesting and informative for kids.

My radio show today will highlight both of these websites and the part kids can play in helping preserve the earth for their generation and beyond. I hope if you don't listen live, you will listen to the archived version here - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/queen-of-wellness/2010/05/13/kids-can-save-the-earth and then you are welcome to post comments or question on my green facebook group -  http://www.facebook.com/globalforce - I'd love to see you there!

Happy Mother's Day to the Earth

What is the best thing about spring/summer? Enjoying the sunny weather after the cold winter, through walking or biking or hiking...whatever you want to do outside, just enjoy it!  Nature was created for us to enjoy, and I love living in NC because the weather is so beautiful this time of year... and as I take my daily walk in my hilly neighborhood (no gym membership for me) and smell the honeysuckle and look at the beautiful flowers and trees everywhere, I am reminded of why I love "green" since I am surrounded by it! :)

If you are interested in eco-friendly products and green living,  most likely, it is because you care about Mother Earth, the planet God created for us to live on, and we need to value what has been given to us. You understand that we have finite resources to enjoy and we need to make the most of them. It is in our best interests to use less fossil fuels, to conserve where we can, to recycle and use less resources where possible...all these things contribute to making everything we have last longer and be more useful to us. Most of us can't live "off the grid" but we can admire those who do, and make steps in that direction.

So what are you doing to educate yourself about green living topics? First of all, you are reading this, so kudos to you! If you are a member at www.facebook.com/globalforce,  then you are aware of various online sites that alert you to problems that exist and various ways to help. I am always fascinated by the creativity to tackle some of our biggest problems head-on and I am pleased to see those that get actively involved.

Secondly, you can get a newsletter from me (Go Green, Live Rich - green tips every week) and get more aware of what the simple things are that you can do to conserve and use more natural resources and products. You CAN save money and save the earth at the same time!

Go to www.laurelsgreenplanet.info to sign up and learn more about me and why I am passionate about green living. I want to GIVE rather than TAKE and so I invite you to join us!

Join the Global Force call on Tues or Thurs evenings (notify me on the Facebook group site if you can attend and I'll reserve a spot for you!) and learn more about what Global Force is doing to contribute to the global mission, with education and eco-friendly solutions to products we use every day!

Here is a poem that one of my local green friends has shared with me - please enjoy! 

Mother Sun, Mother Moon
by Diana Henderson

On a sunny summer morning, the breeze whispers, "Mother,"
And I perceive her face among the pure white clouds,
Touch her essence in the softness of rose petals,
Feel her warmth in the rays of the sun.
Memories of silken hands upon childhood's blooming cheeks,
Embraces soft to soothe wounded pride or scraped knees, 

Smiles from eyes and heart to dry the fiercest tears 

Encouraging voice and tender words to quell the deepest fears.
 

On a quiet summer evening, the moon whispers, "Mother,"
And I see her spirit in the pure white moonlight,
Sense her sweetness in the fragrance of honeysuckle,
Glimpse her brilliance amid gleaming stars in a velvet sky.
Yet none of these, while glorious and bright,
Captures her spirit or compares to her loving nature.
Her light sings strength and effuses truth.
Hers are gifts enough to induce blossoms in the desert,
To sow seeds of life in the wilderness,
To bring beauty to a dying world.
To all of us, she offers her most prized treasures--
Charity, kindness, understanding, patience, wisdom, beauty
And, most of all,
Love.

What's the big deal about green products?

You may have heard of them over the years, and maybe even seen them popping up in retail stores, online stores, and direct sales companies. I am fascinated by the fact that skin care and household products are finally going GREEN!! 

Some have been there for a while, and some are just coming to the forefront, but the best thing about these days is that people are recognizing the fact that parabens and other toxic ingredients in makeup, skin care and household products are not only bad for you and your health, but there are many alternatives that may cost less and work better for you! From direct sales to store-based companies, here are just a few of the ones YOU should know about that have a commitment to using completely natural ingredients and helping the planet and the local communities -

Retail - Burt's Bee's (http://www.burtsbees.com/c/committment) and Lush (http://www.lushusa.com/shop/about-us/) are my two favorite retail skin care/body care companies...did you know that Burt's Bee's headquarters is right here in Durham, NC? They also do a lot of humanitarian work, including Habitat for Humanity and the Planet Earth Celebration every year, which just happened here last month.  Lush is now all over the country, but only one retail store in NC - in Raleigh at the Crabtree Valley Mall. I just visited there this week, and it is a bit overwhelming - the smells hit you from all sides, and I have never seen so much raw product in my life! Very creative, and very "natural" - they can tell you each ingredient, and how they complement each other.

Direct/Affiliate Sales -  Shaklee is the granddaddy of all natural product companies, and I still use many of their products. Arbonne has just recently reformulated everything - esp their FC5 line to be all natural and plant based - with all those delicious sounding ingredients, you may be tempted to eat them instead of using them on your body! :) Their new catalog looks amazing and I am happy the company is really solidifying its place in the natural market.

And of course, Global Force has their own Ecomart, with specific green products in each of 4 categories - many of which I hadn't considered using before - 100% fully degradable trash bags, waterless car wash and tire shine, a DIY home beer machine (how's that for eco-friendly!) and even actual "soap nuts" from the Indian ritha tree that create "saponin" to wash your clothes with! 

Learn more about these and other innovative products at http://www.ecomart.ws/home.php and learn more about Global Force at www.ecomart.com/bestlifepossible! 

Make it YOUR mission to learn more about natural products and find ones that are right for you, cost less and help the environment!

Water Water Everywhere - but do you wanna drink THAT?

My Blog Talk Radio show this week (Thursday 4 pm est on www.blogtalkradio.com/queenofwellness) is on Water - see the video below to get an idea of what the developing world goes through JUST to have access to dirty water -



Did you know that less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use? So we are surrounded by water - 70% of the earth's surface - but people can't drink in it or bathe in it without getting sick.

So how can we help? I am only ONE person and I can only do so much, right? But if you use the power of social media, you can effect change far beyond what you think is possible.

Global Force's recent newsletter highlights the issues of water - check out these articles for ways you can educate and help those around you - Global Force newsletter.

Here are two examples of ongoing projects that were effective largely through social media -

--one person who wanted to make a difference and brought a community together thru a partnership with Save the Children USA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJubQzKYMGg

--charity:water - here is the video that shows how they got started and how they have affected over a million lives with clean drinking water - http://www.charitywater.org/september/trailer.html

and 2 more resources from 2 of our Global Force Community readers - thanks Rachel and Lori!

http://www.abundantwater.org/ - great video and such a simple idea! I am now a fan of yours on Facebook!

http://www.onewaterthemovie.org/ - started by the University of Miami and final screening for Earth Day on Apr 24th.

Thanks for watching these clips and thinking about what YOU can do to help globally and locally. Donate abroad, and drink and use clean water sparingly at home. The world will be a better place because YOU cared! :)

BLP has a new green newsletter!

Since this has been my healthy green blog for a couple of years now, I figure the best place to invite new subscribers to my newsletter is here! So if you have just subscribed, and it is taking you to this page, that's awesome! I would love for you to look around at some of my posts, see what is meaningful to me, and see if you agree with anything I say! :) You are welcome to subscribe to my blog too if you like - just click that button over there to join the small but growing group of blog fans I have...I also have readers from my RSS feed on various Ning sites and my Facebook fan page - www.facebook.com/globalforce.

If you haven't signed up for my new "Go Green, Live Rich" green tips newsletter yet, what are you waiting for? :) Check it out at www.laurelsgreenplanet.info and see more of my green world and what I have to say every week. I got the idea from financial planner David Bach's recent book on how it "makes sense" to "go green" and how you can save - and make - money in the process! It will be a weekly newsletter, so look for it every Thursday in your inbox - and thank you! :)

Where was YOUR food grown?

Maybe some of you are aware out there what is happening to our food industry...the almighty dollar seems to dictate everything in the economy and if it sells, then people will make it...from fast food to supermarkets.

Some of you might have seen my green McDonald's post - and I got a lot of feedback that talked about the fact that McDonalds might have built a "green" building....and there was debate about that as well, but I think the fact that they recycled a lot of the old building materials has merit, and they are a HUGE corporation trying to do ONE thing right. Does that make their food any healthier? No, of course not. But it shows that the green movement is even reaching giant corporations and hopefully that transcends into the kind of food they will provide for us. They will never stop giving us fast food until we stop demanding it, though. We vote with our WALLETS - whether it is a fast food joint or a grocery store - whatever we ask for through buying it will be what they supply to us because that is how they make their money.

As a society, we can choose to listen to whatever makes us happy - is it convenience or is it health? There is a movie coming out in June called "Food, Inc" and it will turn the lights on to all that the food industry has been doing for the past 50 years. Do we really need 47,000 products? Faster, bigger, cheaper? At what cost to our health?See the trailer here - if you dare - http://www.foodincmovie.com/

So are we at their mercy? NO. We can choose NOT to eat at KFC if we know their chickens are in inhumane conditions or we can choose NOT to eat tomatoes at the supermarket that are pumped full of fertilizers, picked before they are ripe, and shipped 1500 miles to us in the middle of winter so we can have a tomato.

Buy local - go to Farmer's Markets and local farm stores.. Even chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joes are becoming more prevalent because the public is voting for them through their wallets. We can choose to buy and eat nutritional food and products because we care about our health. What about you?

I'm just one person, what can I do? Earth Hour 2010

The Biggest Environmental Movement in History - Earth Hour! Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, it grew into 4000 cities in 88 countries in 2009 and 2100 corporations took action. That ONE hour showed a 10.2% energy reduction (the goal was 5%) = 48,000 cars off the road!

This movement is just a starting point to show millions of people what their actions can do - don't worry about the politics or what effect your actions will have, just do what YOU can to make the planet a better place. Small actions every day will make a BIG difference!

Other great videos to watch -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-egKvUP_Rw - Earth Hour 2009 Video - "I'm just one person - what can I do?"

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_c5K7Jdw9E - Earh Hour Movie with Jeremy Piven

It is TONIGHT, March 27 at 8:30 pm. Thanks for participating!

Everyone is going green today! :)

Today as St. Patty's Day, everyone is thinking "green"! Whether it is green beer, clovers, leprachauns or healthy food, it's all green right? :)

Good Guide played on this with their email today - Are you “going green” in honor of St. Patty’s Day? Why not take it to the next level?... If you are looking for ways to keep a green theme today, GoodGuide can give you some green ideas.

Go to top-rated green goodies on GoodGuide.com

or go to Care2.com's Green Living section for organic green beer!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-beers-for-st-patricks-day.html 

Or even better - like the article suggests - make your own organic beer at home! Not only is it convenient, easy and much less expensive, it will help the planet by saving you from throwing away all those beer cans and shipping them from around the world to your house. And - I have heard from other beer connoisseurs - it tastes better than the best micro-brewery - yum!

Here is my favorite beer machine - if you like beer and want it to be the best possible beer you can drink -

http://ecomart.ws/home.php - click on the beer and the beer machine - and you will see a description of the "World's First Reishi Herbal Beer" and the eco-friendly 10 day process to make your own (green) beer at home! :)

Go to https://www.globalforcenetwork.com/living.php for some more reasons why you should buy your beer machine from Global Force, or our other unique eco-friendly products, like our Ultima Verde all-natural anti-oxidant greens! And join our community for FREE! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day - and be GREEN all year round! :)

What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Hi loyal readers...I just wanted to give an inspirational talk here today. I know that we have many things vying for our attention these days, and just wanted to say if you are reading this blog, I appreciate it! :)

So here is the question for today. What kind of legacy do you want to leave for your children and future generations? Every action we take, every decision we make today, affects tomorrow.

I mentioned in the last blog that I have been reading bestselling author David Bach's book "Go Green and Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth (and Get Rich Trying)" and it is true - out of those 50 ways, there are some you can implement today.  Check out a mini-review here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylp6ftdM68I.

He has some GREAT examples of what you can do today to help your health and the health of the planet. He moved into a building that is good for the environment, and he ended up getting rid of his asthma and feeling much healthier! He started making more incremental changes, and realized, not only is this good for me, it is good for the economy! And since he is a financial expert, he is showing everyone that "green" makes good business sense as well!

YOU are the one who has to decide what they are, and if you decide to pick one or two today, great! Then after you decide that you like these actions - try some more!

Some suggestions - recycle (some towns like mine require that now), eat organic food, ride a bike or walk instead of taking the car a mile or two, wash your car with a waterless car wash, drink organic beer you make in your own house, or change your lightbulbs to CFLs (compact flourescent bulbs)! You will improve your health, save some money, and help the economy!

Here's what one big business did that helped the growing green economy - when Walmart decided to "green" its business in 2007, and started by promoting CFLs, it set a target of selling 100 million before the end of the year. And guess what? It reached its goal THREE months early, and as a result, the bulbs Walmart customers bought will collectively save them $3 billion on energy costs and keep more than 22 million tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere! That to me, is a prime example of ONE small change that on a large scale can affect us in a very positive way!

Another example is the bottled water industry - $11 BILLION industry - and only 10% of those bottles get recycled! The "great pacific garbage patch" is an example of where some of that plastic ends up and really affects the fish and other sea animals in that area! See more about this here - http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/28/great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-worse-than-we-thought/

Politicians, big business, celebrities, and others are jumping into the "green" way of living in a big way! How about you? Do you really want to make some small changes in your life? Or find out what "going green" is all about?

Join us at Global Force Network - a free green social community that is filled with people from all over the world that are passionate about going green in small ways...or big ways. Why not you? See this video at www.bestgreenlife.info and see what our mission is - our company is not even officially launched yet, but are launching on Earth Day, April 22. And let me know when you join - I would love to say hello and guide you through it! :)

I want to leave a good legacy on the earth - will you join me?

Republicans ready to sue the gov't for the environment!

Will wonders never cease? I am so happy to see some leading Republicans take up the cause of environmental protection, and this was a very impressive and passionate interview that had some memorable statements in it. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA) and Gov. Charlie Crist (FL) are coming on record saying that the gov't (including the Bush administration and the EPA) has been dragging their feet in giving stronger guidelines for greenhouse gas emission and they are not going to wait any longer....if the gov't will not be partners with them, they will SUE because they want their states, not the government (one state of Washington, DC) to be able to set stronger guidelines to protect the people of their state...and that will give the precedence to other states to do the same. 


Since both California and Florida are coastal states, and Florida is a peninsula, it is very important that they are able to shore up and protect their coastlines and do anything necessary to help the environment in general. Gov. Schwarzenegger talked about the prevalence of more forest fires and less water available now, and that the "Industrial Revolution" is over and the "Clean Green Revolution" is beginning! And Gov. Crist said that now there is "gold in 'green' opportunities" right now and that anyone who develops green technologies will be amply rewarded. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdjw-B_q_A4


They are the most recent in proclaiming how urgent it is that we understand, beyond the hype that surrounds some of the talk of "global warming" (i.e. Al Gore and others that want to use this cause to their own ends), that there is a real opportunity that we have, as individuals, to make a difference now that will benefit future generations. It could be as simple as some of the tips that David Bach talks about in his newest book, "Go Green, Live Rich - 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth (and Get Rich Trying)" - here is a short video that he has on You Tube now - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylp6ftdM68I 


Please join us now to save the earth in your small way - and thanks for reading my blog! Please subscribe if you would like - I love to know who is out there and has joined our cause :)

McDonald's is going green! :)

I think it is fascinating to see what big companies are making eco-friendly changes - from Levi's "organic cotton" jeans...to Sprint promoting eco-consciousness with their Reclaim "green" phone...to the USPS "green" practices (which were started a few years back) which include electric & hydrogen vehicles, a LOT of recycling, and other sustainable practices. Their most visible claim to fame is their NY facility that has a huge 2.5 acre "green" roof that acts as a refuge for native plants and ground cover, and features 14 benches and an art wall, and saves the Post Office about $30,000 a year on heating and cooling costs. See my link at www.facebook.com/globalforce for more on their progressive green innovations.

I heard recently that McDonald's is starting to build "green" LEED registered facilities as well, and that their was one that was recently built in my area, in Cary, NC. It also is the first "all green retail building" in NC!

Well, today I got to visit it firsthand, and was very impressed!! :) It is very modern inside, with textured walls, and neon lamps which change colors every few seconds, and mod green seating and bamboo looking tables. And everywhere that there are innovations, there are signs posted as to what they are - recycled materials, efficient low flush toilets, amazing 10-second hand dryers...even their ordering counter is made from mostly recycled glass and other materials. And to top all of that, they have the first EV (electric vehicle) charging station for individuals who join the ChargePoint network.

http://www.carycitizen.com/2009/09/06/mcdonalds-goes-green-in-cary/

So even McDonald's is trying their best to make a dent in the otherwise questionable motives of going to eat "fast food". It is a nice environment, with 100.0 rating, and they still offer their delicious salads in lieu of a Big Mac. It's always about choices and making the best of the options, isn't it?

No more Google! Use an eco-friendly search engine! :)

If you are like most people, it is not easy to understand how Google or any other search engine can operate and make millions of dollars giving away a service for free. They have their ways, however, and it is easy to see how just a couple of clicks by millions of people would give them revenue from "sponsored links". Now every business needs to make money, but many businesses these days can do so much more than just take in profits. When natural disasters happen like the earthquake in Haiti, and seeing how much support was raised by millions of people texting donations on their phones, and stars contributing through their pockets and their talents on fundraising shows, it made me think. What is more important - helping emergency situations one-time, or helping a cause a little bit each day long-term?

I will not deny that I am glad to see Haiti get as much help as they can (through people not government - much quicker isn't it?). But I want to highlight ways for us to help the green cause daily, through clicking daily on www.therainforestsite.com (or any of its worthy partner sites), or this new green search engine I just found - Ecosia.com .

Ecosia not only donates a good portion of its profits to saving the rainforest, and show you how much YOU are saving every time you make a search for anything, but it also runs on green servers so that there is no carbon emissions to make up for! Did you realize that we are using up a lot of energy and carbon every minute we are online? THIS makes me feel better and I encourage you to use it too. It's easy, free, and it will help save the rainforest, a few meters at a time.

Watch their video here - and get your new green search engine! :)

What can The Book of Eli teach us about the future?

I don't know about you, but sometimes post-apocalyptic movies scare me. I know that we will probably never end up like Sarah Connor in Terminator or Robert Neville in I am Legend...but they are always cautionary tales about what "could" happen if the world continues to tilt in the direction of a certain course we are erroneously taking. What is the worst that could happen? What will the last war be fought over - water and resources, or religion? These movies give creative license to one director's vision of the future, and The Book of Eli is no exception.

Since I believe that the world (and I admit, the US in particular) is all too consumptive and dismissive of the treasures we have from the earth - coal, water, minerals, even our air quality - we are headed down the path of no-return. Here is a clip where Denzel talks about us throwing away precious resources that people in this world would kill for. He attracts one follower in Mila Kunis (she has grown into a fine actress from the previews here) and when she sees he knows what happened in the past, and how it can change her future, she simply says, "Teach me". See the clip here -

 http://blogs.usaweekend.com/whos_news/2010/01/denzel-washington

I haven't seen the movie yet, but like many others out there, I can't wait to see WHY this book is so important, and how it can save what is left of humanity. Denzel plays an unflinchingly strong purveyor of the truth and will not give it away to any hustler or kingpin, and will fight to the death to protect it. And he often does, over and over again.

How far would you go to defend your beliefs? I am grateful that in the US, unlike some other countries, particularly in the Middle East, I am free to believe what I believe, and my faith is not forced upon me, nor taken away from me at gunpoint. I know that Denzel is determined to protect his faith, and fulfill his destiny of being the one shining light on the hill that will not sway to any evil power that wants to take it over.

I also believe that some will misuse "religion" to their own ends or will not portray it in its best light, and wars are fought in the name of religion, as probably here in this movie. It seems the anti-hero has some baggage of his own because of his "religious" yet unloving parents.

So what can we learn from this movie? I have to reserve my final judgment until I see the film on Jan 15, but I think it is safe to say that it will be a fascinating look into the minds of some very creative geniuses, and will give us time to pause and reflect on how we want our future to look. Avatar was fascinating because it gave you both sides of the war, and showed the motivation to attack for gain on one side, and to defend what was sacred to them on the other side. Will we sit back, do nothing and let the world crumble, or will we take an active role in protecting the planet for the sake of our children and future generations?